In many commercial and residential settings, trash collection is consolidated via conventional dumpsters prior to attendance by a local waste collection agency. Due to associated odors and other health concerns, dumpsters are generally located outdoors. The outdoor location further facilitates easy access by waste collection vehicles for lifting and emptying. However, trash receptacles such as dumpsters are generally considered to be unsightly and also to pose various health and safety hazards. As a result, most such receptacles are housed inside a fencing assembly or other enclosure in order to provide a visual screening and physical barrier between the waste materials and people in the vicinity.
While such enclosures indubitably serve their purposes, enclosure of dumpsters inhibits the efficiency with which waste collection vehicles and the like are able to access the dumpsters for emptying. General practice is for a driver or operator of such a vehicle to park and exit the vehicle, open the dumpster enclosure, lift and empty the dumpster, replace the dumpster, and again exit the vehicle to close and secure the enclosure. While individual dumpsters are often only accessed on a periodic basis, repeated performance of these actions during a daily route adds a significant amount of time and physical exertion to the routine of the operator.
Various attempts have been made to provide waste receptacle enclosures. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,913, issued in the name of Cooper, describes a garbage can enclosure device which provides a screened enclosure for conventional outdoor trash cans.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,576, issued in the name of Shirk, describes a gate assembly which provides a durable and shock absorbent gated enclosure for a conventional dumpster.
Additionally, ornamental designs for a waste receptacle enclosure exist, particularly U.S. Pat. Nos. D 402,375 and D 549,917. However, none of these designs are similar to the present invention.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many existing enclosures are difficult and time consuming to access for an operator of a conventional waste collection vehicle. Also, many existing enclosures require a user to exit a vehicle in order to selectively access the enclosed structure. Furthermore, many existing enclosures such as conventional fencing assemblies do not provide a desirable level of aesthetic screening to an enclosed waste receptacle. Accordingly, there exists a need for a dumpster enclosure without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.